When does ESD's 18-month base year lookback period start? Filing confusion

they look at the last 5 complete quarters before u filed... so like not the current quarter ur in when u apply

The 18-month lookback isn't exactly what you're thinking. ESD actually uses what's called a "base year" which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. Since you filed in January 2025, the 5 completed quarters before would be: - Oct-Dec 2024 (most recent completed quarter) - Jul-Sep 2024 - Apr-Jun 2024 - Jan-Mar 2024 - Oct-Dec 2023 Your base year would exclude the most recent (Oct-Dec 2024) and include the 4 quarters before that - so basically January 2024 through September 2024, plus Oct-Dec 2023. That's your "base year" where you need to have 680 hours of work. If you don't qualify under that standard base year, then they can look at an "alternate base year" which uses the 4 most recent completed quarters - so in your case, that would include Oct-Dec 2024.

Just to clarify something important - while the base year uses the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters, the "alternate base year" uses the last 4 completed quarters. ESD automatically checks if you qualify under the standard base year first, and if you don't have enough hours, they'll check if you qualify under the alternate base year. So in your case, if you don't have 680 hours in the standard base year (Jan 2024-Sep 2024 plus Oct-Dec 2023), they would then check if you have 680 hours in the alternate base year (Jan 2024-Dec 2024). The determination letter should specify which base year they used to calculate your eligibility. If you think they made an error, you should appeal within 30 days of the determination date.

I had THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM last month!!!! ESD somehow missed almost 100 hours from my calculation. Turns out my employer reported my hours wrong on their quarterly reports. I tried calling ESD for DAYS and couldn't get through - their phone system is a nightmare!!!

The whole quarters thing is so confusing... I thought they just looked at the last 18 months of work before I got laid off. No wonder my claim got denied! 😫

This base year stuff is RIDICULOUS and deliberately confusing. I worked for 8 years at my company and still got denied because I took unpaid leave during two quarters of their "base year" calculation. Meanwhile my coworker who worked there only 2 years got approved! The system is designed to deny benefits to as many people as possible. It's pure bureaucratic nonsense!

btw if ur employer reported ur hours wrong u need to get them to fix it with ESD... happened to my cousin and took FOREVER to fix

My husband just went through this whole process in December. For his January-filed claim, they looked at October 2023 through September 2024 for the standard base year. When he couldn't qualify with that (he had been in school part of that time), they automatically checked the alternate base year which was January 2024 through December 2024. He qualified under that one. The determination letter will tell you which calculation they used.

To answer your question about the appeal - yes, there is a specific appeal process. You can file an appeal online through your eServices account by selecting the "Appeals" option. Make sure to upload copies of your paystubs or any documentation showing your correct hours. Appeals must be filed within 30 days of the date on your determination letter. If you call ESD, ask them specifically about the hours calculation and which quarters they used. If some of your hours are missing, they can help identify where the discrepancy is coming from.